Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

The servants in charge of reception at the gate of the Duke of England's mansion were all stunned. Only five or six invitations had been sent out, and the kitchen had only prepared three tables of food and wine.

This group of nobles seemed to be very familiar with each other. They threw the gifts into the arms of the servants, and then entered the Duke's Mansion with a smile on their faces to congratulate Zhang Zhiji.

Zhang Zhiji probably knew why these colleagues came, so he called Zhang Shikang over to take the blame.

Zhang Shikang was not vague and took everyone to the largest living room in the Duke's Mansion.

Even so, with more than a hundred people, the living room was still very crowded, and many nobles had no place to sit and had to stand.

But everyone still had a smile on their face. They couldn't help but smile. Everyone understood that everything in the Ming Dynasty was caused by Zhang Shikang.

Zhang Shikang's position in the emperor's mind was already transcendent, and even if all the favorites of the Ming emperors were combined, they would not be able to shake it.

If you want to be completely at ease and escape the divine punishment that may be brought down by the emperor at any time, Zhang Shikang is the best key.

They had previously openly opposed Zhang Shikang over tax issues, and now that they needed help, they naturally dared not put on a cold face.

"Speaking of which, you are all elders of Shikang, but you should speak publicly and privately. I wonder if you are here for public or private reasons?"

Zhang Shikang sat firmly in the first place. Although he had a smile on his face, his every move showed that he had the courage to control the overall situation.

"It is for the public and also for private benefit."

Linhuai Marquis Li Hongji said with a smile on his face.

"Oh? Is that really the case? Uncle Shi is not telling the truth." Zhang Shikang had a scrutinizing smile on his face, but it was unclear how much sincerity was in that smile.

Isn't it just because you are afraid of being punished by Brother Chongzhen? How much does this have to do with you?

Li Hongji felt a little embarrassed after hearing this, but he still didn't dare to show it on his face, so he could only continue:

"Ah, Shikang, you really don't give us any face at all.

Never mind, it’s just for my own selfish reasons.

Shikang, we were wrong before, and we came here to apologize to you and to ask you to speak well of us in front of His Majesty." Li Hongji sighed and said truthfully.

Everyone knew that this was a show of force from Zhang Shikang, but they had no choice but to ask for help from others, so everyone bowed to Zhang Shikang to show their submission.

Zhang Shikang finally put away his pretended arrogance and said gently:

“Shikang is very happy that his uncles and aunts can find him when they are in trouble.

However, Shikang didn't like what his uncles and uncles had done these days.

So, why should I help with this?

Can you give me a reason, uncle? "

Although it was just a matter of words, Zhang Shikang was not Guanyin Bodhisattva, nor did he run a charity, so why should he help?

Such words made all the nobles and relatives present frown. If they were to speak personally, they were all nobles and relatives, and they were of the same blood, so they had reason to be angry.

But when it comes to public affairs, they really have no temper.

"Shikang, we shouldn't be indifferent to state affairs, and we shouldn't obstruct and oppose national policies.

But we, the nobles, have lived and died with the country for generations, and our families have intermarried with each other. Many of us even have royal blood flowing in our veins, and our bones are broken but our tendons are still connected.

We were wrong, to be honest, we had reached a consensus before coming here, as long as Shikang is willing to raise a hand, we will follow Shikang's lead in the future. "

Li Hongji knew that Zhang Shikang didn't like beating around the bush and there were no outsiders here, so he gritted his teeth and threw out their chips.

Chengzu's empress was from the Xu family. For more than two hundred years, the descendants of the Xu family had intermarried with other nobles and relatives. Also present were foreign relatives such as the imperial son-in-law Gong Yonggu. It was no exaggeration to say that their relationship was like a broken bone with a connected tendon.

"So you all know this, but what is the reason that has caused you to become so profit-seeking and short-sighted now?"

Zhang Shikang's words were so harsh that they were almost tantamount to humiliation.

But that's just how he is. Even when facing Brother Chongzhen, he has slandered him more than once.

Only when you know shame can you become brave. Without destruction, there is no construction. If you cannot endure this humiliation, you will not be able to accomplish anything.

In front of his brother Chongzhen, he didn't like others using loyalty to the emperor and patriotism to kidnap him. In front of this group of nobles, he didn't like using ancestral friendship to suppress him.

Although he has long since adapted to the local customs, certain principles from later generations remain unchanged and cannot be held hostage by morality.

If these nobles did not represent the interests of a group of people and had some prestige behind them, Zhang Shikang would not even meet them.

Seeing that all the nobles kept their heads down, seemingly angry but not showing it, Zhang Shikang made up his mind.

"My uncles and uncles, please stop telling me to follow your lead. This is rebellious. I am a playboy and have no ambition.

We truly share the same aspirations with Your Majesty and the same destiny with our country.

But have you ever thought about this? It is precisely because of this that if the Ming Dynasty were to fall, whether because of bandits or the Qing army, they would need civil servants to govern the country.

For those people, it was just a change of master.

But what about us?

Will they allow a group of people who have bloodlines from the previous dynasty and are closely related to the emperor of the previous dynasty to live?

Don’t tell me how the Ming Dynasty would perish. The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty at that time thought the same thing.

Going back further, rulers of successive dynasties would not have thought that their country would collapse so quickly before it was destroyed.

You should know better than I do what the Ming Dynasty was like half a year ago.

"Year after year, the revenue is insufficient to cover the expenditure. Soldiers cannot get their salaries. People are starving and dying. There is unrest everywhere. These are all signs of the country's demise."

Zhang Shikang said earnestly that he had said these words in front of his brother Chongzhen, so he was not afraid now.

If he can't or dare not even tell the truth, he feels that everything he does is meaningless.

What he said was all true, and any sane nobleman present could understand and agree with it.

"Shikang, how can we not understand what you said? Although we are short-sighted, we are not completely without the desire to serve the country. We are just helpless.

We, the nobles and relatives, are ranked lower than the civil officials in the court. We have neither military power nor financial power. We are just filling in the numbers.

Previously, Your Majesty only listened to those civil officials and alienated us, so what can we do?" Xinle Marquis Liu Wenbing sighed.

He was the nephew of Empress Xiaochun of Emperor Guangzong, and Empress Xiaochun was the biological mother of Emperor Chongzhen. In terms of seniority, he was the cousin of Emperor Chongzhen.

"Brother, why are you so depressed? I have long disliked those civil officials. Now that Brother Shikang is here, if we unite, we may not be defeated by them."

A rough man next to Liu Wenbing interrupted and said that this man was Liu Wenyao, Liu Wenbing's younger brother and also the cousin of Emperor Chongzhen.

Although these two brothers are from the same mother, they look different. Liu Wenbing is eight feet tall and has a very majestic appearance, a very handsome guy.

In contrast, Liu Wenyao had a full beard, two bull eyes as big as Sun Weifan's, and the hairs of his garlic nose were almost poking his philtrum.

"My dear, do you really think so?

You have to know that those civil servants know how to use their pens as swords and guns. If you are not careful, you may be written into the garbage dump of history and be infamous for eternity."

Zhang Shikang glanced at Liu Wenyao with interest.

"If I win, I will send them all to heaven.

If I lose, I will not survive. After I die, I don’t care if there is a flood!" Liu Wenyao said with his eyes wide open.

……